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| Beacon Hill |
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Date : 30th May 2010
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Leader : Sue Larder |
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Report by : Sue Larder |
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Photos © : Howard Ashworth |
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| Trig point on Beacon Hill with Pendle in the background | |
17 Walkers (leader included) set out on a sunny if breezy day from the car park at Plantation Street and made their way to the start of the walk at Sawley off the A59. We parked up by the old school which is now the community centre. Prior to setting off on the walk we took the opportunity to have a look around the Abbey ruins. Sawley Abbey was founded by the Cistercian order of monks in 1147 and originally house approximately 75 monks. However when it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536 there were only 21 monks living there due to competition from the rival Abbey at Whalley which was founded in 1296. The last Abbot at Sawley, William Trafford, was executed on 10 March 1537 for his involvement in the “Pilgrimage of Grace” which was a rebellion to re-establish the monastic way of life.
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left and right:
Sawley Abbey |
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From the Abbey we turned right then left at the Spread Eagle public house following the road over the River Ribble and turned left at the next road junction until we came to the “Friends Meeting House”. We turned up the drive to the right of the house and made for a garage. Keeping to the left of the garage and through the gate we followed the path up through the plantation over a stile and keeping to the hedge on the left climbed over another stile at the corner by the house (Acreland). We then crossed the next field keeping two large Ash trees to our right and descended to the stile in the bottom left corner, cut across the bottom of the next field and over the footbridge. We then started our gradual climb up through the next three fields from stile to stile (rescuing a sheep who was stuck on her back like a turtle with her feet in the air and couldn’t get up, very comical), keeping the field boundary on our left until we came to Till House where the neatly mown footpath took us across the front of the house itself then between the farm buildings and out onto the farm track. Following the track towards another farmhouse until we reached a stile on the left where the walk levelled out and we were given splendid views on our right across the Ribble Valley towards Pendle which was basking in the sun.
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left:
Upside down sheep |
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right: A great view of Pendle Hill |
We climbed the stile and followed a gully in the field with the hedge on our right disturbing a hare in the process. We struggled to negotiate a very poorly maintained stile which had been partially blocked by the farmer. (Report on its way to footpath secretary). We then headed diagonally across the field towards two stone gateposts and at this point took our lunch break using the wall as a windbreak and enjoyed the beautiful views of the valley and Pendle with the only noise to disturb us being a passing helicopter.
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left:
In the gully |
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right: Lunchtime |
Resuming our walk we went through the field gate and across the next stile and two fields making our way towards Higher Heights Farm. Walking behind the farm buildings we then turned left . At this point the walk took us up a track which is described as “rough, rutted and boggy”, I have to say a very apt description. At the top of the track we came out onto a road and turned left walking along the road a few yard until we reached a footpath sign on the right. Going through the gate we followed the path through 2 fields and over 2 stiles and eventually came to the very windy trig point having reached the top of Beacon Hill at 977’. We posed for the obligatory photo and enjoyed the 360° views of the Ribble Valley, Pendle, Penyghent, Ingleborough and the Bowland Fells which were still basking in the sun although some rain clouds could be seen over towards Ingleborough. Leaving the trig behind us we headed towards the plantation and followed a grassy lane around the edge of the woods making our way down and came out onto a quiet lane, turning right along the lane then almost immediately left through gate onto a bridleway. At this point some dark clouds were gradually moving across from the North and we felt the odd spot of rain.
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left:
Up and up... |
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right: Atop Beacon Hill |
We followed the path towards the line of trees in the distance negotiating another gate and following the wall towards another stand of trees through a second gate which brought us onto a green lane. We followed the lane which turned into a farm track further down, round the end of Cob House Barn and onto a main road at the bottom. At this junction we turned left and followed the road until we came into the village of Grindleton, so named from the quarrying and making of grindstones which used to be the local industry in bygone days. Walking down the road through the village just past the bus terminal we turned left between the houses and followed a back lane down behind the main road passing the Methodist Church circa 1892, until we met up with the main road again at the bottom. We then turned left and walked along the road towards the local junior school on the right side. Crossing the road we took the lane down the side of the school observing a local game of cricket in the adjacent field. We traversed the lane past St Ambrose’s Church following the concrete track down and passing behind Fields House Farm going through a gate which then brought us onto another green lane. We followed the lane to its end then turned left and made our way up a field back towards the main road negotiating a wall stile we turned right along the road back towards Sawley passing Bowland High School on our left and a wood which had a pungent mass of wild garlic growing under the canopy of trees. On approaching the river we took a small wall stile on the right leaving the road and walked along the river bank towards the bridge and once back on the road we crossed the bridge and made our way back to the centre of the village and our walks end. Although the dark clouds had been threatening towards the end of our walk there had only been the odd spot of rain and all agreed it had be a good day for walking and provided excellent views.
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| Along the Ribble to Sawley | |
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES IN THE GALLERY
| OL41 |
FOREST OF BOWLAND |
START POINT |
SD 776 463 |
| WALK LENGTH |
7.5 mls / 12 km |
TIME |
3 hrs 15 mins |
| MAX HEIGHT |
300 mtrs |
MIN HEIGHT |
67 mtrs |
| HEIGHT ASCENDED |
350 mtrs |
HEIGHT DESCENDED |
350 mtrs |
This map is for reference only and MUST NOT be used to do the walk.
Please use the correct OS map for all these walks.
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